THE WEEK AT A GLANCE Sunday, 12/29 ~ 1 Tevet ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH COMMUNITY, J-JEP closed, ELC closed. 8:00 am Morning Service, Homestead Hebrew Chapel LIFELONG JEWISH LEARNING, & SPIRITUAL GROWTH Rosh Hodesh Tevet 7:00 pm Evening Service, Helfant Chapel Hanukkah: Light eight can- 8:30 pm Online Parashah Study Group - Textual, Zoom Video Call dles. Monday, 12/30 ~ 2 Tevet 7:30 am Morning Service, Homestead Hebrew Chapel J-JEP closed, ELC closed. 9:15 am Talmud Study, Lehman Center Shabbat Shalom! Last day of Hanukkah 7:00 pm Evening Service, Helfant Chapel Tuesday, 12/31 ~ 3 Tevet 30 Kislev, 5780 7:30 am Morning Service, Homestead Hebrew Chapel Office closes at 3:00 p.m. 7:00 pm Evening Service, Helfant Chapel J-JEP closed, ELC closed. This week’s parashah is Mikkets. Wednesday, 1/1/2020 ~ 4 Tevet Office closed. 8:00 am Morning Service, Homestead Hebrew Chapel J-JEP closed, ELC closed. 7:00 pm Evening Service, Helfant Chapel Happy New Year! Thursday, 1/2 ~ 5 Tevet 7:30 am Morning Service, Homestead Hebrew Chapel J-JEP closed, ELC closed. 7:00 pm Evening Service, Helfant Chapel 7:30 am Morning Service, Homestead Hebrew Chapel Friday, 1/3 ~ 6 Tevet 5:45 pm Shababababa and Shabbat Haverim, Samuel and Minnie Hyman Ballroomm Candle lighting 4:47 pm 6:00 pm Kabbalat Shabbat, Helfant Chapel Friday, December 27, 2019 Youth Services Candle lighting 4:42 p.m. 6:30 am Early Morning Shabbat Service, Homestead Hebrew Chapel Saturday 9:30 am Shabbat Morning Service, including baby naming for Gillian & Aaron Bloom- Saturday, 1/4 ~ 7 Tevet field, Faye Rubenstein Weiss Sanctuary Kabbalat Shabbat 6:00 pm 10:00-10:30 am - Meet in Baby naming for Gillian & 10:00 am Youth Tefillah, Meet in Shear Youth Lounge, then to respective services Helfant Chapel the Shear Youth Lounge Aaron Bloomfield 12:15 pm Congregational Kiddush, Samuel and Minnie Hyman Ballroom Havdalah 5:48 pm 4:15 pm Minhah, Homestead Hebrew Chapel or Rice Gym. 4:40 pm Se’udah Shelishit, in the Eisner Commons 5:25 pm Ma’ariv, Homestead Hebrew Chapel Toddler - Pre-K with Manny Theiner 10:30 am - 12:00 pm Saturday, December 28, 2019 Hoffman & Zweig Libraries, 3rd floor Havdalah 5:42 p.m. Mini-Minyan, Pre-K - 2nd Grade Youth Tefillah Yahrzeits FOR THE WEEK OF DEC. 28, 2019 - JAN. 3, 2020 30 KISLEV - 6 TEVET, 5780 Early Morning Shabbat Service 6:30 am 11:15 am - 12:00 pm The following Yahrzeits will be observed today and in the coming week. This list comprises those dear departed for whom there Homestead Hebrew Chapel are dedicated plaques in our praying spaces, and those for whom contributions have been made to have their names listed here. Homestead Hebrew Chapel rd th Kalman Alansky J. A. Goldman Dr. Albert LaBorwit Saul Portnoy Fannie Shapiro 3 - 5 Grade Youth Tefillah Myer Alpern Lee S. Goldman Miriam Lehrburger Harry Pretter Harry I. Sherrin 10:30 am - 12:00 pm Bella Askenase Isaac Goldszer Jacqueline Inez Leipzig Annette Reicher Hattie Shire Shabbat Morning Service 9:15 am Youth Lounge, 4th floor Mark Baron Phillip Goodman Miller William Reinwasser William Silk Ada Belsky Jacob Grayefsky Fannie Lempert Bella Richter Gertrude Snyder Samuel and Minnie Hyman Ballroom Edna S. Bennett Harry Greenberg Leonard Levin John B. Robbins David Solomon Louis Berman David Gusky Samuel M. Levinson Eric Rollman Sara Stadtlander Isadore Bliwas Robert Hartstein Herman Levy Stanley Michael Rosen David Stein Kenneth Bress Abraham Hecht Reuben Levy Joseph S. Roth Sarah Stein Congregational K iddush 12:15 pm Ethel Briskin Helen Heringer Abraham Lewis Walter Roth Eva Stept Samuel and Minnie Hyman Ballroom Joseph Cohen Samuel Hyman Bernard Lipsitz Esther Rothman Lillian Rudich Stern Sidney Sanford Cook Henrietta Itskovich Moriy Lyubomirsky Leonard Rudolph Joseph Sugerman Florence Davidson Belle Kalson Jacob Marcus Harriette Ruttenberg Louis B. Supowitz Please refrain from using Harry Dorfman Zalmon Kanterowitz Gerald Merenstein David Sakolsky Bernard Surloff Minhah 4:10 pm electronic devices in the Milton Feder William Jay Karelitz David Miller Irene Samuel Louis H. Volk Homestead Hebrew Chapel synagogue during Shabbat Pauline Fisher Meyer W. Karwan Hyman Millstone Helen Scheinberg Raymond Weinberg Leonard Fivars Eugene L. Kauffman Lawrence Morris Donald Schimmel Mildred Weiner and holidays. Sadie Garfinkel Louis Kessler Janet Moses Ida Schloss Isadore J. Weinstein Thank you. Meyer Gefsky Barbara Lynne Klee Benjamin Z. Neaman Seymour Schwartz Benjamin Weisberg Se’udah Shelishit 4:35 pm Edwin Morris Ginsburg Saul Klein Barry Neft Samuel Schwartz Bernard H Weiss Eisner Commons Alex Goldberg Sarah E. Kramer Sylvia Neustein Jay Serbin Rita Weiss Rachel Goldberg Rubin Kravitsky Gnessa Pelack Sadie P. Sesler Carolyn E. Wolfe Joseph Goldhamer Alex Kritberg Alex M. Pollack Esther Shapiro Albert Zweig Please look for this symbol inside Ma’ariv 5:20 pm for info on accessible entrances at 5915 BEACON STREET ° , PA 15217 ° 412.421.2288 ° BETHSHALOMPGH.ORG Homestead Hebrew Chapel Beth Shalom. SHABBAT SHALOM Rabbi Adelson joins the Officers and Trustees in welcoming all members and guests to our The Rabbi’s Assistant answers questions that someone might be too shy to ask. services. We look forward to seeing you again soon. Who Was Oscar Levant?

All are welcome to the congregational kiddush, sponsored by Micah & Beth Jacobs and Born December 27, 1906, to Max & Annie Levant in Pittsburgh, Oscar Levant was an individual worth celebrating. In the Levant family, as reported in 1940 in The Pittsburgh Press, the first child learned violin, the second piano, third vio- Benjamin Jacobs in honor of their parents, Rhoda & Jerry Jacobs, on their 50th lin, fourth piano. Oscar’s fated position was fourth, piano. Oscar’s oldest brother Harry was so taken by music that he wedding anniversary, immediately following services in the Samuel and Minnie sought a musical career. Their father objected, Harry went to two years of pre-med, but then went back to music, becom- ing a director of Broadway musicals. The second son, Benjamin, did become a doctor; the third, Howard, became a Hyman Ballroom. violin-playing dentist; and Oscar went on to become famous for piano, conducting, composition, writing, acting, and wit. In the movie An American in Paris, with , Oscar Levant conducts an orchestra of many Oscars. As a child, he This week’s Se’udah Shelishit will be sponsored by Mindy Shreve, Bobby, Danny, and was a reluctant prodigy, learning fast so he could go play baseball and dream of becoming a Pirate. Forced to practice, he Isabella Bress in memory of beloved father and grandfather Kenneth Bress. woke up at 7:00 a.m. to do so loudly. Apparently, though, the piano grew on him. In the middle of 12th grade, in 1922, Oscar informed his mother that he was leaving for New York to become a pianist. Mrs. Levant went with him, and Oscar soon found work with and his orchestra. They played at the Rivoli Theater, which simultaneously employed Oscar in its own orchestra. Moving among the Tin Pan Alley crowd, Oscar published his first composition in 1926, “Keep Sweeping the Cobwebs Off the Moon.” Soon he wrote “Lady Play Your Mandolin,” and his career was at least moving in a positive direction. He began writing for musical comedies, playing OUR CONGREGATIONAL FAMILY night clubs, and eventually went west to compose and do bit parts in the movies. He wrote scores for the movies Nothing Sacred and Made for Each Other. Meanwhile, Oscar met , who appreciated Oscar’s interpretations of Gershwin’s works (often different from his own), and he requested Oscar as pianist performing them. In his private life, Oscar was known as something of a schnorer, moving between staying (sometimes suddenly and for a long time) with George Gershwin and with Harpo Marx. Harpo said that Oscar often would be found in the middle of the night sitting alone at the piano, playing and saying humorous things to himself. Harpo said he presumed Oscar had “wit to burn.” Oscar’s first symphonic composi- tion was Dirge (premiered with the Pittsburgh Symphony at Syria Mosque, 1939), in memory of Gershwin. He was often invited to conduct it with orchestras around the country. Author of books A Smattering of Ignorance (1940), Memoirs of an Amnesiac (1965), and The Unimportance of Being Volunteer to Help with Kiddush! Really, we need YOU! Oscar (1968), composer of the hit song “ Blame It on My Youth” (1934), Oscar was a popular guest on radio shows (he Please volunteer to help make the Kiddush - shopping, food prep, setup, cleanup, everything in between. could accompany a singer and also provide witty repartee) and later on tv talk and game shows and his own The Oscar Please contact Michelle Vines, at 412-421-2288 x113, or [email protected]. Levant Show. He was well-known for his neuroses, too; (critic and mogul of the - we shall explore the table’s Jewish connections in a future column) said of him, “There isn’t anything the matter with Levant that a few miracles wouldn’t cure.” Oscar would say, “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.” Happy birthday, Oscar Levant! We look forward to your questions. We have these columns online at http://bethshalompgh.org/ive-always-wondered/ . Have you or your guests lost something in the shul? Are you missing something important? Please call our Receptionist for general articles, at 412-421-2288 x114, or see images on our website. OUR LEADERSHIP Clergy Staff Rabbi Seth Adelson, Ext. 115 Ken Turkewitz, Interim Exec. Director, Ext. 226 Se’udah Shelishit / Third Shabbat Meal Rabbi Mark Staitman, Rabbinic Scholar Dale Caprara, Controller, Ext. 109 Rabbi Jeremy Markiz, Dir. of Derekh and Youth Tefillah, Ext. 111 Anthony Colaizzi, Communications & Design Every Shabbat afternoon from Oct. 19 until Pesah, we dine together at se’udah shelishit (the third Shabbat Manager, Ext. 108 meal). Free to attend; all are welcome. We meet in the Eisner Commons, starting one and a half hours before Executive Officers Audrey Glickman, Rabbi’s Assistant, Ext. 112 havdalah time (check this Bulletin or the website for the schedule). We are seeking sponsors, please! Deborah Firestone, President, Ext. 106 Rabbi Larry Freedman, J-JEP Director, Ext. 323 To sponsor the a third meal, please contact Ira Frank: 412-281-4064 or [email protected] Kate Rothstein, Executive Vice President Kate Kim, Assistant J-JEP Director, Ext. 323 Alan Kopolow, Vice President Hilary Yeckel, Early Learning Center Dir., Ext. 390 Jordan Fischbach, Vice President Rosie Valdez, ELC Administrator Fred Newman, Treasurer Marissa Tait, Dir. of Youth Programming, Ext. 463 Kiddush Sponsorship Dan Eisner, Secretary Ethan Einhorn, Kadima Youth Advisor Adi Kadosh, BSUSY Youth Advisor Celebrating a simhah or honoring the memory of a loved one? To sponsor a catered Kiddush, David Horvitz, Past President Auxiliary Presidents Michelle Vines, Events Coordinator, Ext. 113 contact Michelle Vines, at 412-421-2288 x113, or [email protected] Ira Frank, Men’s Club Lonnie Wolf, Cemetery Director, Ext. 293 Honorary President Judy Kornblith Kobell, Sisterhood Tika Bonner, Receptionist, Ext. 114 Ruth Ganz Fargotstein (z”l) Elana Kolko, USY Carole Salisbury, Bookkeeper, Ext. 110 LOCATING THE MOST ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCE Palkovitz Lobby, Helfant Chapel, ELC, Front Offices: Enter at Beacon Street (or Rear Parking Lot Entrance with key) Please save the date for our upcoming Scholar -in-Residence weekend with Eisner Commons, Homestead Hebrew Chapel: Enter at Beacon Street, take elevator to 2nd floor Rabbi Jeffrey Schein and Dr. Deborah Schein. The topic will be the relationship Faye Rubenstein Weiss Sanctuary: Enter at Beacon Street, take elevator to 3rd floor among Judaism, technology, and the spirituality of our children. Shear Youth Lounge, Rice Auditorium: Enter at Beacon Street, take elevator to 4th floor Samuel and Minnie Hyman Ballroom: Enter at Shady Avenue Sisterhood Judaica Shop - Great Gifts! SHABBAT - 30 KISLEV 5780 Open Friday 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (except holidays), PARASHAT MIKKETZ or by appointment Etz Barbara Kaiserman, 412-422-5677 Aliyah Verses Readers Hertz Hayim December - 30% off all Hanukkah merchandise Genesis 41:1-4 Irene Kaplow 155 250 ראשון 1st Mitch Dernis 155 250 41:5-7 שני 2nd Visit the Gift Shop for your Hanukkah shopping! Mitch Dernis 155 251 41:8-14 שלישי 3rd Dave Held 156 252 41:15-24 רביעי 4th Brenda Kurland 156 253 41:25-38 חמישי 5th Mitch Dernis 157 254 41:39-52 ששי Sisterhood Shabbat 6th Numbers 28:9-15 Irene Kaplow 695 930 שביעי February 1, 2020 7th Numbers 7:42-47 Irene Kaplow 599 808 מפטיר Sisterhood Shabbat celebrates the women in our congregation and Maftir presents an opportunity for all of us to learn together. Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7 Alan Hirschman 987 1270 הפטרה The speaker will be Danielle Kranjec, Senior Jewish Educator at Hillel-JUC. Haftarah S A member of Beth Shalom, Danielle previously worked with the I Agency for Jewish Learning, and holds an MA in Medieval Jewish Studies S from the Jewish Theological Seminary. T This year we honor Pat Weiss, Marlene Behrmann Cohen, and Ilanit Helfand. E Please plan to join us for the service and for lunch. R If you are interested in having a part in the service, H please contact Helen Feder with your name, email address, and phone number, whether you prefer Hebrew or English parts or non-speaking parts, O or if you want to do something specific. O Helen may be reached by email at [email protected] D (please put “Sisterhood Shabbat 2020” into the subject line) or by phone at 412-521-2797. Divrei Hashavua — Words of the Week Financial donations are also welcome, please, through http://tinyurl.com/SisterhoodShabbat5780.

ENJOY Books sheva shenei hassava The Sisterhood is selling Enjoy Books, $30. Please contact Dorothy Greenfield at 412-521-5217 or Lonnie Wolf at 412-421-2288 x293 for more information. sheva shenei hara’av

vayyiftah Sisterhood Book Club The Sisterhood Book Club will discuss lishebor bar Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates Monday, January 6, at 7:30 p.m., at Linda’s home. meraggelim UPCOMING EVENTS For additional information, please see the flyers in the racks, or go to our website. 11:00 a.m. Wednesdays Bring the parashah alive and make it personally relevant and Check the calendar on our website for daily event information meaningful with Rabbi Mark Goodman! at http://www.bethshalompgh.org On January 1, the class may informally meet at an outside venue.

January 12, 10:00 a.m. Monday mornings at 9:15 a.m. in Lehman Center Rabbi Jeremy Markiz learns Data Visualization: From Energy Storage to Driverless Cars Massekhet Rosh Hashanah, a tractate of the Talmud about the many new years that fill After spending a decade designing energy storage systems in a chemistry lab, out the Jewish calendar. If you'd like to join the Talmud Class Google Group, Shoshanna Barnett decided to learn how to make things with a keyboard. follow this link: https://groups.google.com/d/forum/talmudcbs She is currently a software engineer at Uber here in Pittsburgh. Learn about this fellow congregant’s job and how she makes Congregational Dinner complex ideas simple through data visualization techniques. Friday, February 28, 7:00 p.m. Congregational Dinner, A light breakfast will be served with bagels and lox following Hod veHadar Instrumental K abbalat Shabbat at 6:00. sponsored by Beth Shalom Men’s Club. The event is free. Sponsored by Men’s Club and Sisterhood Please contact our office at 412-421-2288 or email [email protected] to RSVP. $25 per adult; $10 per child (12 and under) RSVP by 2/21/2020, please. Feb. 4th at Beth Shalom, Feb. 11th Downtown Sign up online: https://tinyurl.com/DinnerFebruary5780 at David Horvitz’ office, 535 Smithfield Street Egalitarianism has become part of the core of the Conservative Movement, Congregational Adult Purim but whence did it come? We are exploring the Jewish legal basis of egalitarianism through responsa literature and halakhic sources. Men’s Club and Sisterhood are planning for Sunday evening, We will be discussing the landmark teshuvah “On the Ordination of Women as Rabbis” March 8, an Adult Purim Party. from 1984 by Rabbi Joel Roth. If you would like to help plan the evening’s events, Please register for Sq. Hill classes at http://bethshalompgh.org/lunchandlearn/ please plan to bring your ideas to a planning meeting To include lunch in your registration for the Lunch and Learn classes that are on Tuesday, January 7, at 7:30 p.m.! at Beth Shalom, you must register by noon on the Friday prior to the class. (Lunch cannot be ordered for downtown, but may be taken with you. Registration not required.) Jews For Justice: Dinner and Discussion A & The next Discussion Service will be February 22 at 10:30 a.m., D Y SAVE THE DATE! Friday, January 17, 2020, 6:00 p.m. in the Weinberg Pavilion. (beginning with teen-led Shabbat service in Helfant Chapel) Rabbi Adelson leads a discussion-oriented service for all ranges of davener, U O Our fourth annual award-winning Beth Shalom USY Jews For Justice! from the uninitiated to the veterans. We seek meaning behind the words, L U Tikkun Olam: What Does It Really Mean? and personal connections within tefillah. T T One teen leader will facilitate dialogue between courses at each table. Similar programming Free; all are welcome. This year’s theme is “The Intertextuality of Tefillah.” S H for children in K-5th grade and babysitting will be available upon reservation only. We are The language of prayer was not exactly handed to us on Mount Sinai. proud and excited to share a meal and important conversations with you! Where did it come from? What are the sources behind it? How does it connect to other Watch for more information, coming soon! areas of Jewish literature? How might these connections inspire us in prayerful moments? The February service topic is “The Languages of Tefillah.” Y Cards and Kits Textual Analysis: Sundays at 8:30 p.m. Torah & Modern Life: Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. O Sunday, January 5, 1:00-3:00 p.m. Dig into the language of the parashah A wide-ranging discussion on how Torah U Repair the World Family Service Corps and Congregation Beth Shalom and unpack a difficult section of Torah. affects our modern life, beliefs, and practice. T present Cards and Kits. Join these lay-led discussion groups! All classes meet online. No Hebrew knowledge required. Pack snack kits and write heartfelt messages for kids living at the border. Interested in either or both? Contact [email protected] H Please register at https://rpr.world/familiespgh.